Carmine Bee-eaters (Merops nubicus & M. nubicoides) Fact Sheet: Summary

Describer (Date): Gelin, 1788

Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Chordata

Class: Aves

Order: Coraciiformes

Family: Meripodae

Genus: Merops

Species: Merops nubicus — Northern Carmine Bee-eater

Species: Merops nubicoides — Southern Carmine Bee-eater

Body Weight:
Northern, M. nubicus: 34-59 g (1.2-2.1 oz)
Southern, M. nubicoides: 44.5-66 (1.60-2.3 oz)

Body Length: 24-27 cm (9.5-11 in) (both species)

Plumage: Brilliant pink and blue; black mask; streamers up to 12 cm (4.8 in)

Beak: Black,moderately long, sharp-pointed, downwards curved

Range: Tropical savannas of Africa; two species widely separated in central and southern Africa

Habitat: Tropical, well-watered, warm bushy and woody savannas; river
flood-plains (including farmed areas and open pastures); cliff-faces for nesting

IUCN Status: Least Concern (both species)

CITES Appendix: not listed

Populations in the Wild: Unknown; 1980s rough estimate of 5 million individuals (both species combined)

Migration: Complex three-part annual cycle between higher and lower latitudes for feeding, breeding, nesting

Activity Cycle: Diurnal. After dawn, emerge from nest burrows; perch, preen, and fly as clan groups to feed. Return in late afternoon to socialize and preen; enter burrows for night.

Social Groups: Very gregarious. Form huge breeding colonies with up
to 1,000 nests in cliff faces.

Diet: Consume many species of flying insects, especially bees and bee-predators.

Predators: Monitor lizards rob nests. Humans kill birds for their feathers and because they believe these birds pose a threat to bee hives.

Courtship: Aerial pursuits common before nesting time; copulation may
follow gift to female from male. Thought to be monogamous.

Clutch Size: 2-3 eggs; rarely up to 5

Nest: Usually dug in cliffs; occasionally nest on level ground

Hatchlings: Born blind and naked (altricial) 1-3 days apart; extreme size differences in chicks

Fledgling: 23-30 days; fed for another 6 weeks

Typical Life Expectancy:
Wild populations: about 7 years

Featured Facts

• Often hunts insects by riding on the backs of bustards, storks, heron, cranes, sheep, goats, camels, zebra, wart hogs, and antelope; watch for flushed insects
• Attracted to edges of fire, where insects flee; earned them a name meaning "cousin to the fire" among the Mandinka people of West Africa
• Live in huge colonies when breeding
• Breeding males may offer insects as courtship "gift" to female
• Migratory path may follow that of locusts
• Killed by humans for feathers, food, or by farmers who belive bee-eaters are a threat to bee hives
• San Diego Zoo was the first North American zoo to breed Carmine and White-fronted Bee-eaters.